In the week ending August 23, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 298,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 298,000 to 299,000. The 4 - week moving average was 299,750, a decrease of 1,250 fr om the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 300,750 to 301,000. There were no special factors impacting this week's initial claims. The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 1.9 perce nt for the week ending August 16, unchanged from the previous week's ... (full story)